Jude Bellingham switched from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid during the summer break for over 100 million euros. There are many candidates for the successor, but implementation is proving difficult.
At Borussia Dortmund it is currently again: And every year the groundhog says hello. What is meant is the fact that the club, as so often after a Bundesliga year, has to try to replace one of the top performers. With Ousmané Dembélé, Jadon Sancho, Erling Haaland and Co., there have always been dominant players in recent years who wanted to take the next step at their peak. That’s how it was with Jude Bellingham.
The midfielder switched to Real Madrid for a basic fee of 103 million euros, and bonus payments can add another 30 percent to this sum. This makes Bellingham the second most expensive sale in the club’s history, only Dembélé immediately brought in more money with 105 million euros.
Clubs want BVB to make big money
Such means are a curse and a blessing at the same time – the people of Dortmund know that, and if they should have forgotten it, they are currently being reminded of it again. The competition knows that BVB is looking and that the club account is full. The clubs of the players in which Dortmund are interested also sense the big business – just like the black and yellow do when Real, Manchester City or FC Barcelona compete for their players.
Sports director Sebastian Kehl, managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke and trainer Edin Terzic decided on the candidates for Bellingham’s successor at an early stage. However, the implementation turns out to be problematic. It is not necessarily about convincing the player in question, but about establishing agreement with the club making the transfer. Because despite all the liquidity, BVB is of course not willing to pay moon prices for new players – despite all conviction and duty to act.
Alvarez deal apparently burst
Edson Alvarez is said to have been the ideal solution. Poker has been going on between Dortmund and its current employer Ajax Amsterdam for weeks. According to media reports, the top Dutch club is planning a basic fee of at least 45 million euros, while BVB is said to want to pay around 30 to 35 million euros. About the amount that should have been due if Ajax had not increased its wishful thinking after Bellingham flushed more than 100 million euros into the negotiating partner’s wallet. That is why BVB is said to have refrained from an obligation.
Kehl and Co. have not yet publicly commented on Alvarez’s efforts, trying to implement their desired transfer without much fanfare. There are also no comments on other names that are reported – and there are quite a few. Conor Gallagher (Chelsea FC), Felix Nmecha (VfL Wolfsburg), Morten Hjulmand (US Lecce) and Arda Güler (Fenerbahce) have recently been brought into play by several media.
Gundogan was an issue
Two German national players have already been traded as Bellingham’s successors. Rumors of an attempt to sign Leon Goretzka from FC Bayern have not yet been substantiated. The fact that Ilkay Gündogan was an issue was recently confirmed by the player himself.
The 32-year-old admitted at a DFB press conference that there was contact between his agent and Kehl. But he also emphasized: “Nevertheless, it wasn’t particularly likely because it wasn’t really a big issue for me to go back to the Bundesliga.” Instead, he is now drawn to FC Barcelona. Only the official announcement of the transfer is still pending.
The departures of Guerreiro and Dahoud exacerbate the situation
In Dortmund, those responsible seem to be a little far from being able to report completion and present a successor to Bellingham. However, there is still time, BVB training is not scheduled to start until July 5th.
Kehl and Co. are still under pressure after Ramy Bensebaini was signed by Borussia Mönchengladbach on a free transfer, but five squad players left the club. Among them is Raphael Guerreiro (probably moving to FC Bayern), a player who, with Bellingham, has made Dortmund’s midfield the showpiece of the team. And with Mahmoud Dahoud (to Brighton & Hove Albion) a backup of the two. That doesn’t make the path any less rocky.
